Ms Imaginary
by imaginaryornot
Summary: Harry needs a family. A mysterious woman helps him to get one. This story ends at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban. Please review (this is my first fic, so all criticism is welcome and gladly appreciated)! Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter was getting very hungry. All he had eaten for breakfast was Dudley's left overs, which included a quarter of a toast and a couple pieces of melon. This was not a fulfilling breakfast for a twelve year old boy whose birthday was in two months. It was now almost lunch. On top of that, he had been pulling weeds all morning. To take his mind off his aching stomach and his grueling work, he counted each one inch weed. "Nine hundred and three," he muttered. "Nine hundred and…"

"Hello."

Harry swiftly turned around. A brunette woman in her late 20s was standing behind him. She smiled kindly. She smiled kindly.

"Uh,… hi."

The lady bent down to meet him eye to eye. Her piercing blue eyes met his emerald ones. Harry had never seen such blue eyes before. They had an almost unreal quality about them.

"I live next door. I've been watching you for a while. Your aunt and uncle don't treat you very well, do they? I hate to see anyone mistreated, especially a young boy like you. I want to help you in any way possible. I was thinking about calling the authorities."

"Well um," Harry said, desperately trying to come up with an excuse. He knew that he needed to live here for the blood wards to protect him. "It's just that they are my only remaining family."

She looked intently into his eyes. He felt memories swirling before his eyes and realized she was a legilimist. "You're a wizard, aren't you? I am sorry I intruded but I was very worried and had to see how badly you were abused."

Suddenly his stomach growled. He blushed furiously. "Hungry, aren't you! How would you like it if we got a hamburger?"

"My uncle will be angry if I don't pull the weeds…"

The woman snapped her fingers. All the weeds pulled out off the garden and into the trashcan. "Come on, I'll take you."

"I can't leave; I was instructed to stay here by professor Dumbledore. There are blood wards protecting this property, and I'll be in danger from death eaters if I go."

"Who could you possibly be to be put in danger from death eaters?" Then realization hit her. "You're Harry Potter! My stars, who would have guessed to find the-boy-who-lived here! But you are human too, just like the rest of us, perhaps more than we know. Well, I'm guessing you want to know who I am. I'm Naira." She smiled again. There was something about that smile that made Harry immediately trust her. "I can protect you if someone would try and attack you. We can take my car." He nodded and followed her to her black Chevy. They hopped in.

"I've never been taken out to eat before! I have always wanted to try a hamburger!"

She turned her head and looked at him for a moment with deep sadness in her aqueous eyes.

"I wish you were my son. Then we could get hamburgers whenever we wanted to."

After what seemed an eternity to Harry, they arrived at Five Guys. Ms. Naira ordered three hamburgers and two drinks. Harry intended to eat a whole hamburger, but ended up only eating 3/4ths of it. Soda was a completely new wonder to him. It burned his throat, but he loved it.

After they were done eating, Ms. Naira said, "Well Harry, it's time for you to go home."

"That's not my home," the boy replied.

Again Naira looked terribly sad. "I'd take you away if I could. That's something I cannot do. However there is something I _can _do. Harry James Potter, I promise to help you. I swear upon the Northern Star, the guiding light in the sky. I will do what I can for you. You are not alone."

They drove back to number four, Privet Drive in silence. When they arrived, Ms. Naira said, "I am moving tomorrow, but I will forget what I have promised."

"Will I see you again?" He asked, his haunting green eyes begging for an affirmative answer.

"Yes, and soon. Can you meet behind your shed at one on Saturday?"

"Yes. My relatives always go out on Saturdays."

"Excellent."


	2. Chapter 2

Ms. Naira did not show up for several weeks, but food did. Harry's uncle cracked down on him. He seemed to take every opportunity to lock Harry in his room. It was in these times that the boy became immensely grateful for the food. Harry decided to ask her for water.

Dear Ms. Imaginary (that way if this letter is found, my relatives won't know who it's to),

Thank you for the food! You have probably saved my life a couple times. Could you also send me water? I've been sneaking out of my window to drink from the hose.

Love,

Henry Patrick (H.P.)

That Saturday he was again pulling weeds when he heard an apparition "pop". There was Naira behind the shed. She smiled brightly.

"Hi Harry!"

"Ms. Naira!" He hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Are your relatives around?"

"No."

"Excellent! Today I'm going to teach you a spell that will change the molecules around you to make water. Do you have your wand?"

"No, I'll get it now!" He sprinted into the house, up the stairs, grabbing it and running back. He panted. Naira laughed at his eagerness.

"Okay, marathon runner, let's start!" She transfigured some weeds into clear cups. "Wave your wand in a figure eight like this and say "auguamenti." Nothing happened. "Try again." Finally after twenty tries, he got it right. Water filled up one of the cups. He took a drink.

"Excellent! Now, try thinking "auguamenti" in your mind as you do the figure eight." Thirty tries later, he got it. "Congratulations, you just did a wordless spell! Now, try to do it without your wand. Close your eyes and imagine water filling the cup up." Nothing had happened after five minutes. "Okay, let's take a break. I brought some lunch!" They had some nice ham sandwiches. Soon enough they were back to work. After another five minutes however, nothing had happened. "Alright, let's take another break. How is it, being at Hogwarts?"

"Amazing! Sometimes I wake up and wonder if the whole thing isn't a dream. But then, I see my books, use my wand, and know it's reality."

"Magic is amazing, isn't it! There are so many spells, curses, counter curses, charms, potions, to know and so much history to learn about. We are indeed fortunate. The wizarding world has great power. But with great power comes great responsibility. Now back to auguamenti!"

Harry closed his eyes. He pictured the cup clearly, and imagined water filling it up. He opened his eyes. The cup before his was filled to the brim.

Harry stood up. "YES! It worked! IT WORKED! YES! YES!" The boy did a mini jig.

"Nicely done!" Naira laughed, and then hugged him. She suddenly looked at the sky. "Oh my gosh!" She checked her watch. "I must go! I have an appointment to keep! Keep practicing until you can do it easily. Remember, concentration is the key!"

With that she turned into a nightingale and flew away. After that, she came every Saturday. Food came every other day. Summer flew by, and soon it was time for Harry to go back to Hogwarts. They continued owling each other. Ms. Naira often sent interesting or useful things to him. For example, she sent him a shark tooth anklet that would protect him against the expelliarmis spell twenty times. Another time she sent him a potion with a letter and some sort of notebook attached.

Dear Harry Potter,

Here is a potion that will help you absorb knowledge for one hour. Read chapters 5, 7, and 11 of The Art of Potions, chapters 2, 9, and 16 of Second Year Transfiguration, chapters 6 and 7 of practical charms, and use the rest of the time to read this handbook. Read as fast as you can and the potion will do the rest.

Love, Ms. Naira

P.S. You can call me aunt if you would like. You are so much like a relative to me. Of course, you can just call me Ms. Naira if you would like. Don't use too much of the information at once. It will look suspicious if you suddenly become a genius! This is not cheating. It simply helps you study better. It's not illegal, just hard to come about.

Harry obeyed. The handbook contained all sorts of spells, potions, and tips. After the hour was up, he stopped reading. A strange feeling came over him, as if he really knew the material he had been reading, the same results he would have if he had studied for hours. He smiled. Now he knew how to get the Draught of Living Death right. That was very good because there was a test on it the next day.

Harry stirred it just as his handbook had suggested. Hermione glanced over. "You're supposed to crush the scarab, not squish it!" She whispered. Harry continued. "Don't worry, I've got this."

She just shook her head disbelievingly. By the end of class, Harry's potion had taken on the pitch black, and so had Hermione's, but Ron's had turned a sickly forest green. Draco's and Theodore Nott's potions were also black. No one else had succeeded. In fact, Neville's had started steaming and had turned pink. Severus Snape started to check each potion, and wrote a note for each person. He dropped a leaf in the ones that had turned black. Draco's slowly disintegrated, Nott's and Hermione's just floated. Finally he came to Harry's potion.

"I find it simply astounding that your potion is black as it is supposed to be, Mr. Potter." He said, looking terribly menacing in his black robes. He dropped the leaf into the liquid. It instantly started turning into dust and floated down into the inky darkness. "Mr. Potter." Snape said in a dangerous voice, his black eyes, almost as black as the potion itself, filled with dark malice, "I find it extremely strange that you, with your abysmal potion skills, have brewed The Draught of Living Death perfectly. Stay after class. Class dismissed!"

Ron gave him a sympathetic look before milling out. As soon as everyone had left, Snape demanded, "Empty out your pockets." Harry hesitated, surprised. Snape saw this as guiltiness, and added in a low, deadly voice, "NOW." Harry did so. There was a Kleenex tissue, some loose Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans, a Galleon and a couple of Knuts. Snape glowered and pointed his wand at Harry. "Searchify!" Something flew out of Harry's pocket and landed on the desk. The boy looked at it. It was a large lint ball. Snape narrowed his eyes and looked at Harry with a snarl. "How, Mr. Potter, do you explain your sudden success?"

"Well sir," Harry answered, thinking fast, "I've become more interested in potions and have started studying this subject harder. I am finding it to be really fascinating."

This was, actually quite true. It was obvious, however, that the Professor was having none of it.

"I _will_ find out how you are cheating, and believe me, _you will not like it when I do_." Harry gulped. But stood fast and looked him in the eye. "I would not dare to cheat, sir."

"Really? I remember your father often cheating, just like you. Anything to get out of work! You are so much like him—lazy and arrogant! I will be watching you very closely, you can be sure of that! Dismissed!" Harry hurried out, eager to escape the wrath of the Potions Master.

The next day, Harry got a letter from his "aunt" through a little brown owl.

Dear Harry Potter,

Are you interested in getting some tutoring in DADA and potions from me? You could say your aunt wants you to come home to work on the weekend.

Love,

Aunt Naira

Harry was excited. He could see his aunt! That evening he went to Dumbledore's office. "Lemon drop." He said to the gargoyle. Up the spinning gryphon stairway he went. The Headmaster smiled at him. "Hello Harry! Lemon Drop?"

"No thank you professor. I was wondering, um, well my aunt wants to come over for the weekend, so I was wondering if you or one of the teachers could take me."

"Why of course! Professor Snape isn't going anywhere this weekend. He could take you! Actually to think of it, he _never_ goes anywhere on the weekends! I'm sure he could drop you off and pick you up. What time do you need to leave and be picked up by?"

Harry's face quickly turned a sickly green. _Depending on Snape! Being in debt to him… the horror, the horror!_ "

"Around 9 am and then at 5 pm."

"Excellent! I will tell professor Snape to meet you outside the Hogwarts gates at 8:55."

The next day, the expectant student waited outside the gates. He dreaded Snape's arrival, but decided that this was worth it. He loved seeing his aunt. At 8:50, Snape showed up. He glared at Harry as if blaming him for a ruined Saturday. "Golden Boy needs to be dropped off, hmm?" He snared in his deep tenor voice and raised an eyebrow. "Having a little vacation while everyone else works? Think you're better than them, _Potter_?"

This reminded Harry of something Naira had said to him._ "But you are human too, just like the rest of us, perhaps more than we know." Snape just doesn't realize it_,he thought.

"Actually, my aunt is having me pull weeds. She thinks I'm getting to lazy and has decided to make me work."

"Good for her." He sneered. Snape roughly grabbed his arm and apperated. The spinning disoriented Harry and made him fall over. _Of course Snape had to land perfectly!_ He mentally grumbled to himself.

Snape just shook his head and disappeared with a crack. Harry went to the door and knocked. Petunia answered. "What are _you_ doing here? You are _supposed _to be in school!" She snapped, her face pinched.

"Oh, I am getting picked up for tutoring in a little while. The drop off person had other stuff to do, so he had to drop me off early. I'll work on the weeds while I'm here. I won't cause any trouble."

"You better not." She growled, slamming the door in his face. And so he went to the backyard and waited for his other, nicer, cooler aunt, all the while pulling weeds. Finally at 9:30, he heard a noise behind the shed. Sure enough, there was his aunt.

"Hey auntie! Good to see you!" He laughed, hugging her tightly.

"Good to see you too," she smiled, "now let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns!" She added in song. Harry giggled. Crack! Off they went. They arrived in front of a white mansion that reminded Harry of Tony Stark's house. "WOW! Is this your house?!"

"Headquarters, more like. Come on inside." Inside was an open space that had a comphy, friendly looking living room (a domestic one, not a cold, modern living room, complete with a fireplace), left was some sort of empty area, and ahead was a dining room ahead with a giant window.

"To your left is the training room, to the right the living room, ahead is the dining hall. I'll give you a tour of the rest."  
They went through the dining hall. She pointed to the right. "Do not go in that room."

Then they went to the left. There was a kitchen, which led to a hallway. She opened the door on the left. "This is my room." Then she opened the one on the right. "That is your room." They continued on. Another door was on the left. "This is the potions lab. There are some dangerous chemicals in here, so be careful not to touch anything that you are unsure of. Deal with stuff you know. That actually applies to a lot of life! If you ever get a potion on you somehow, say you drop it and it splashes or something, call out to me immediately." They went out. Ahead there was some sort of room. "Do not go in there either. These are the only two rules: Don't go in this room, and don't go in the other room I showed you. Do you promise?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now do you want to practice defense or potions first?"

"Defense. I love this house! It's beautiful, and it feels like home."

She smiled. They walked back to the training room. It was white, and had padded walls and floors. A closet contained equipment. "Take out your wand. Today I will teach you how to cast a curse disabling shield sideways at a curse. Let's say your friend was about to get hit. You could cast this shield, and it would hit the curse, disabling it. Remember, it is your intent, not your motions or words that create a spell. This is what most of the wizarding world misses. The better you understand this, the better control you will have over magic. To become powerful, you have to be able to control what you are working with well. And don't let others know that you can do this yet. The less dangerous you appear, the less people will try to target you. Someday the whole wizarding world will know how powerful you are, but not yet. You will hopefully get close to the amount of power I have, and maybe even surpass it. So let's try what everyone calls 'adverteo'. Prepare yourself."

He did.

"Now, I'm going to cast a spell at that wall. Try to block it from the side. Timing is everything."

Harry couldn't even conjure the spell the first twenty times. The next thirty times he missed terribly. Finally, after fifty six times, he started to hit the curse. They practiced that another twenty times.

"Excellent! Now, close your eyes, turn around, and then try to hit the curse."

They practiced until lunch. "I say we take an hour break, and then do some potions! Where do you want to go for lunch?"

"Sea World!" He said, laughing.

"Well, let's do it!"

"What? Really?!"

"Why not?" Naira cracked the most adventurous smile he had ever seen.

And so they went to Sea World, bought their tickets, and then looked at the penguins, polar bears and sharks before getting a fish-and-chips lunch. Then it was time to head back to "headquarters". They started work on a nutritional potion that Professor Snape was giving a test on.

"Snape's been suspicious of my potions successes." Harry sighed.

"Let him me. And please call him Professor Snape. Respect is always important, no matter who it is. You are starting to enjoy potions, aren't you?"

"Yes I am. It really is an interesting subject. I just never saw that before I read your little handbook!"

"And you_ have_ been studying hard! This is what you can show your teachers: let everyone know you are serious about your schooling. By the way, how come you have been studying harder of late?"

"Because I realized I had a family who cared about me."

"The Dursleys care about you now?"

"No, not them, you. You are my family."

"Oh you terrible sweet-talker!" She cried, hugging him fiercely. "I do love you, and I'm so proud of you. You are part of my family. I promised you once that I would help you. And I shall do my best to keep that promise." She pulled away to smile at him, then hugged him again. "You are my boy. _Always_."

"_Always_." He replied.

"Now let's get back to the potion before it boils over!"

Harry continued to study with her nearly every week. Before long, he was excelling in all his classes. At the end of the year he had all outstandings, except in History of Magic and Potions. Even Snape had been forced to give him an E in potions. Harry was sad to go back to #4 Privet Drive, but Ron promised Harry could visit the Burrow, as the Weasleys called their home. Harry received food from his other aunt, but it was not until the fifth week of summer that Harry received any news from her. The familiar brown owl dropped the letter through the bars on his window.

Dear Henry Patrick, I am sorry I have not been able to owl you, but I ran into trouble. Don't worry about me, though. I am fine. Just keep working on all aspects of your skills. I will not be able to see you very often or for very long. You must NOT ask me where I am. I will visit you at your house at 12 in the afternoon in two Saturdays. Remember, no questions.

Affectionately,

Aunt Imaginary

P.S. I found a cool way to pronounce my pen name: ih-mash-shin-airie

Harry was, of course, terribly concerned about his aunt. It sounded like something bad had happened. In two Saturdays, Harry Potter was once again pulling weeds. One time he had wondered why they didn't use Roundup. "_I was wondering, uncle Vernon, if you couldn't buy some Roundup. I think that would be a lot more efficient then me pulling them by hand."_

_ "You lazy boy! You have a responsibility to this family, and how dare you try to shirk it! We clothe you, feed you, give you a room, and here you are, you ungrateful wretch, complaining! Now go outside and pull some weeds! That will stop you from trying to get out of work!"_

An apperation pop from behind the shed brought him out of his dark thoughts. He hurried behind it. Naira looked pale and a little sick.

"Auntie! Are you all right? You look sick!"

"I'll be fine. I've survived worse. Don't worry; I put a spell on myself that prevents the germs from getting on other people. I can't stay long." She puled a ballpoint pen out of her pocket. "Here. This contains a potion that will help weaken your enemy. Throw it at the person, and it will splatter on them. The ink is fine until you activate it by letting it hit something at high velocity." She pointed at the pen. "See these two chambers? They are fine until mixed. You can use this as a regular pen. Just say "refilio" when it runs out. What about working on some transfiguration?" For the next hour they worked to transform a turtle into a tea cup. Harry had just begun to succeed when Naira said, "Harry I must go. I do not know when I will be able to see you again. Keep practicing. Love you!" And with that she disappeared behind the shed.

How his aunt got food to him, he didn't know, but he was glad she did. No matter what he did, his relatives always seemed to take their anger out on him. Once there was a package thrown through the bars with fruit cups, granola bars, and different cans of soup. Amazingly, one of them was warm to the touch. The boy opened it with the can opener his aunt had sent. Beautiful, mouthwatering steam wafted out. He was astounded. Quickly he devoured the soup. _How on earth did she do that?_ He wondered. Attached was a letter.

Dear Henry Patrick,

To do the heating spell, say "heato." Remember though, intent is everything. Words just make things easier.

Love,

Aunt Imaginary

And so two months went by. He then went to the Weasleys. Hermione came and visited also. They spent a half month together before he returned to his relatives. Then it was time, once again, to go back to Hogwarts, this time for his third year. Little did he know he would have trouble with a prisoner from Azkaban.


	3. Chapter 3

Dementors on the train. Posters everywhere bearing the face of Sirius Black. A warning from Mr. Weasley, Ripped portraits and bed curtains. _Things are certainly getting mad_, Harry thought. One nice thing this year was Remus Lupin. He was the new DADA teacher. Professor Lupin was really nice, but was sick a lot. The poor man was often in the infirmary.

"Today we are going to learn about grindylows. These creatures are water-dwelling. In fact, some are in our own lake. I have one here in captivity. They are non-aggressive creatures, despite their fierce appearance…"

Harry listened intently, taking notes. Ron had accused him of getting too much like Hermione, but Harry did not care. He took Naira's advice and had "stepped up his game", but not only in academics. He was now feared on the quidditch field as one of the most dangerous players. Professor Lupin asked him to stay after class.

"Harry, I am really impressed with how you have been doing in class! You know, every time I look at you, I see your father looking back. We used to be really good friends. He was the bravest and most loyal man I ever knew. He was a true hero. James was good at quidditch too, just like you! But you have your mother's eyes. She was so kind and good. Almost an angel. But back to your schoolwork. I think you would make a really good auror some day. Keep up the good work and you'll be on the right path."

Harry smiled. "Thanks for telling me about my mom and dad! I really don't know much about my parents. And I will think about becoming an auror."

"Of course! Any time."

Harry's relationship with Snape was the only thing that deteriorated that year. Snape seemed to insist on insulting Harry by talking about how his father was "lazy" and "arrogant". _"You're just like your father, strutting around the castle!"_

_ "My father was a great man! He didn't strut, and neither do I!" Harry shot back. _

The third year mentally groaned. He had gotten detention for that one. It was now the third month of school. The leaves were beginning to fall in a flurry. Finally, he received a letter from Naira.

Dear Henry Patrick,

I am still sort of sick but nothing too bad. I miss you and I hope to visit you soon. Is there any way I can meet you? I hear about the Dementor crackdown and Sirius Black's escape. Be careful. If Black is as evil and insane as they say he is, you are in grave danger. I think of you all the time.

Love,

Aunt Imaginary

_How am I going to meet her…? Dementors at the entrance, killers on the loose… wait… the marauder's map! There's that exit out of Diagon alley! Perfect!_ He quickly wrote back.

Dear Aunt Imaginary,

I will wait at The Three Broomsticks for you on Saturday evening at 7.

Love,

Henry Patrick

And so he went to meet her that weekend. He sipped on his foamy, bright orange pumpkin juice while he waited. A blond woman with poignant blue eyes came and sat down across from him.

"I would know those eyes anywhere."

She grinned not unlike the Cheshire cat. "Hehe! Smart boy!" She said in a distinctly Scottish accent.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, snickering.

"How is school going for you, laddie!"

"Great, although Professor Snape still hates me."

"Why does he hate you?"

"I don't know, but he constantly mentions my father. Professor Dumbledore said my father saved his life one time. Maybe he hates being in debt."

"Hmm. What have people told you about your father?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledore said he was a good man. Professor Remus Lupin, our new defense against the dark arts teacher, said he was friends with my father, and that he was the bravest and most loyal man he knew. Professor Lupin said my father was good at quidditch. He also called him a hero."

Naira sighed. "Harry," she said looking at him, "is that what you believe?"

"I guess so. I trust Professor Lupin and the Headmaster."

"Sometimes people will tell us a partial truth to try to protect us."

"You mean… they haven't told me everything about my father?"

"No, they haven't. I know that it would only make sense for you to want a flawless father. After all those years of living with the Dursleys, you want to believe your real family was perfect. No one wants to believe their parents have flaws. But do you want to know the truth, the unbiased truth that neither Professor Dumbledore, Lupin, nor Snape can give you?"

"Yes. I have to know what he was really like."

She nodded solemnly. "I hate to take your innocent view away from you, but I believe in telling the truth, even if it hurts. Your father _was_ a hero in the end. He sacrificed himself for you and your mother. But that was not always so. He often played terrible pranks, sometimes terribly mean or embarrassing pranks, on Slytherins. He also mocked them and sometimes beat them up with his "marauder gang". Remus, Sirius, and Peter were in this group. As I remember, Lupin was the one who always tried to dissuade them from beating someone up, but he never tried to stop them. I think he was desperate to belong to any group. You must promise not to tell anyone what I will tell you know."

"I promise."

"Remus Lupin is a werewolf. That's why he was afraid to lose his only friends. Society would reject him, make him an outcast if they knew. So when the Marauders found out, and still accepted him, he was careful not to lose their favor. Your father was no angel. There is another secret I must tell you. The only reason your mother married your father was because her father made her. Lily was a half-blood, but the Evan blood was considered very special, a high and noble blood, if you will. Your mother's father arranged a marriage with someone with excellent blood: James Potter. You see, Lily Evan's father knew that James Potter was a pureblood. Lily was not thrilled, but she did it to please her family."

"An arranged marriage?" Harry looked shell-shocked. His face was completely devoid of all color. "You mean, she didn't marry him because she loved him?"

"No, she didn't love him. And he didn't love her either. He… well, I might as well tell you the dark secrets. You should know. Your father slept with other women."

Harry was shaking now. He started to sob.

"A year after they got married, they started to love each other. James stopped sleeping around. That was when Lily got pregnant with you. And they had a very happy marriage for one year. And that was when Voldemort came to kill you, and when James Potter redeemed himself by sacrificing his life. That was the night the world changed."  
Harry was still crying. "I know this is hard for you, Harry, but there is more I must tell you. I said I believed in telling the truth. Well now, I will tell you the truth about me. Sirius Black is not the only prisoner from Azkaban. I am too."  
Harry looked up in shock.

"I was sentenced to six months in Azkaban for murder. It would have been longer, but they couldn't prove it."

"Did you?"

"I did kill him. He was a death eater. I didn't want to kill him, but he attacked me, and I couldn't just knock him out. He was very skilled, and I was forced to hit him with a deadly curse. The ministry doesn't want to admit that death eaters are still around."  
"Oh my gosh. I thought you were going to say you were a serial killer or something. You can't believe how relieved I am."  
"I hope you are not ashamed to know a parole."

"No, how could I ever be ashamed to be related to such a wonderful person?"

She smiled.

"The good thing is, the world doesn't know I went to jail. It was a private business. It's not even on my record. They just wanted to scare me enough to shut me up."

"I'm so glad you're okay now."

"Me too."

From then on, Harry decided not to agitate Snape. He decided that he would attempt smooth things over. Now that he knew the truth about James Potter, he had no desire to be him, and decided to explain that to Professor Snape the next time he brought the subject up. Harry continued to succeed in every aspects of his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Naira was in her living room when a _tap tap tap _came from the window. A Hogwarts owl sat there, a letter tied to his leg. She opened it.

Dear Ms. Naira Valjean,

Would you be interested in teaching Muggle Studies?

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Soon enough, Naira was teaching at Hogwarts. Everyone loved Naira because she was passionate about what she taught. She also had no prejudice against any house. Strange things continued to happen to Harry. Peter Pettigrew showed up on the Marauder's Map. One night, Harry decided to find him. Unfortunately, he ran into Professor Snape.

"Potter. What are you doing wandering the corridors at night?

** "**I was sleepwalking."

"How extraordinarily like your father, you are, Potter. He too was exceedingly arrogant, strutting about the castle."

** "**My dad didn't strut. And nor do I. Now, I would appreciate it if you would lower your wand."

"Turn out your pockets." Snape growled. Harry hesitated. "Turn out your pockets." Snape repeated. Out came the Marauder's Map. "What's this?"

"Spare bit of parchment."

"Really? Open it." Harry did so. "Reveal your secrets." Lettering appeared. "Read it."

"Messrs. Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, offer their compliments to Professor Snape and... "

"Go on."

"... and request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."

** "**Why you insolent, little-!"

At this very moment, Professor Lupin appeared. He greeted Snape.

** "**Professor."

** "**Well, well. Lupin. Out for a little walk _in the moonlight_, are we?"  
"Harry, are you all right?"  
"That remains to be seen. I have now just confiscated a rather curious artifact. Take a look, Lupin. Supposed to be your area of expertise. Clearly, it's full of dark magic."  
"I seriously doubt it, Severus. It looks as though it's a parchment designed to insult anyone who tries to read it. I suspect it's a Zonko product. Nevertheless, I shall investigate any hidden qualities it may possess. It is, after all, as you say, my area of expertise. Harry, would you come with me, please? Professor, good night."

Lupin was upset at first that Harry had taken such a risk by having a map he knew nothing about, a map that could very well have been cursed. Then Harry told him about what he had seen on it.

"But that's impossible! Peter Pettigrew is dead!"

"I'm just telling you what the map said, sir." Harry then went back to bed.

It was the last month of the school year. Everyone was excited, ready to go on break. That was when the craziest thing yet happened. Buckbeak had been sentenced to execution. Now they were in the shrieking shack. Ron had chased Scabbers, but had been dragged by a giant black dog under the whomping willow. The path under the blood thirsty tree lead to the notorious haunted house.

"I don't like this at all, Harry! This has to be the worst way to spend National Peace day!"

"Me either, but we have to get Ron!"

They entered the upstairs room. There was Ron and Scabbers.

"All for this stupid rat!" Hermione groaned.

"He's not stupid!" Ron said stubbornly. He was shaking.

"What's wrong, Ron?"

"That dog… is not a dog… turn around!"

They did. Standing before them was Sirius Black.

"If you're going to kill Harry you'll have to kill us too!" Hermione shouted.  
_ "_No, only one will die tonight."  
_ "_Then it'll be you!" Harry said.

Suddenly Professor Lupin appeared.

"Well, well, Sirius. Looking rather ragged aren't we? Finally the flesh reflects the madness within."

"You'd know all about the madness inside, wouldn't you, Remus!"

Lupin laughed. "My old friend! Still alive and kicking!"

Enough talk, Remus! C'mon, let's kill him!" Black yelled.  
"Wait!" Remus Shouted.  
"I did my waiting! Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!  
"Very well, kill him. But wait one more minute. Harry has the right to know why.  
"I know why!" Harry fumed. "You betrayed my parents! You're the reason they're dead!  
"No, Harry, it wasn't him! Somebody did betray your parents, but it was somebody who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead." Lupin insisted.  
"Who was it then?"  
"Peter Pettigrew! And he's in this room, right now! Come out, come out, Peter! Come out and play!" Sirius laughed almost maniacally.

It was at this very moment that Snape and Naira entered.

"Stand down, both of you!" Snape commanded.

"Stop! He might be innocent." Harry said. Naira looked carefully at him.

''What on earth do you mean?" She questioned skeptically.

"It's Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew is dead." Snape said, lowering his eyes dangerously. "Enough of this!" Snape yelled and pointed his wand at Black. "Manipulating your own godson, hmm, Black? Petrifi…"

At that very moment he was suddenly thrown onto the bed, unconscious. Harry was holding Hermione's wand which was pointed at Snape. Naira looked at them.

"Where is he?" Harry asked.

"There!" Sirius said, pointing at Ron.

Ron looked horrified. "Me! He's mental!"

"Not you, the rat!"

"But Scabbers has been in my family for…"

"Twelve years! Curiously life for a common garden rat, don't you think? He's missing a toe, isn't he?"

"So what?" Ron questioned.

"All they could find of Pettigrew was his…" Harry answered.

"Finger!" Black finished. "He cut it off so everyone would think he was dead! And then he transformed into a rat!"

"Show me." Harry demanded.

Sirius hit the rat with a curse. Suddenly, the rat turned into an extremely ugly little rat-looking man.

"Sirius, Remus, my old friends!" He whimpered pitifully, then tried to escape. Remus and Sirius pushed him back. He tried Harry next. "Harry, look at you, you look so much like your father, like James, we were the best of friends!"

"How _dare_ you speak to Harry!" Sirius snarled. "How dare you talk about James in front of him!"

"You sold James and Lily to Voldemort, didn't you!" Remus stated.

"I didn't mean to! The Dark Lord, you have no idea the weapons he possesses. Sirius, what would you have done? What would you have done!"

"I would have died! I would have died, rather than betray my friends! Let's kill him now!"

"Stop, you're crazy! You're going to get sent back to prison!" Naira objected.

"She's right. My dad wouldn't have wanted you to be a murderer. Let's take him to the castle and explain to Professor Dumbledore. Pettigrew just admitted to betraying my parents. Sirius could be cleared."

The two men looked at each other.

"He's right, Sirius," Remus said.

Outside, it was a beautiful night. Suddenly, the moon begin to rise.

"Oh no…" Lupin gasped.

"Oh my gosh…" Naira said, horrified. "You forgot your potion!"

"You know who you are!" Sirius said, grabbing Lupin, trying to prevent the transformation. It didn't work. Black turned into a dog to try and distract the werewolf.

"Aunt, why aren't you using your wand?"

"It's at the castle! It's national peace day, remember? I decided not to use magic today to honor it!"

Black was tossed against a tree and knocked unconscious.. Suddenly, Snape appeared from under the tree and stepped in front of the three kids, trying to protect them.

"Severus, take the kids and run!" Naira shouted, throwing rocks at the werewolf and running to distract the monstrous creature. He did. Harry looked back. The werewolf had its jaws on his aunt's shoulder.

"NO!" He screamed.

"Don't let her sacrifice be in vain!" Snape shouted, pulling him. Harry obeyed, running as fast as he could. By the time they were inside the castle, Harry was an emotional wreck.

"Professor, we have to save her!"

The headmaster ran over.

"Headmaster, Professor Valjean is out there. Last I looked her blood was being sucked by Lupin." Snape said.

"We will have to wait until he leaves her. Hopefully he will not suck her dry. Good thing we have the astronomy tower! We can see what's happening and possibly send someone to rescue her."

"Someone, hmm? I wonder who that would be," Snape sarcastically wondered. They climed up to the tower. Professor Dumbledore pointed a telescope towards the grounds and searched.

"She was by the whopping willow." Snape helped.

"There she is!" Dumbledore said. "He's still down there." Three more minutes passed by. It seemed like an eternity to Harry. "She's alone. Well Professor Snape, are you going to rescue her or not?"

"Of course I am!" He growled, running down the stairs.

In fifteen minute's time, Snape stepped back inside Hogwarts, carrying a very pale burden stained with red and was running towards the infirmary. He shut the infirmary door behind him.

"Harry, you can't see her now." Professor Dumbledore said. "Go to sleep, and we'll see what tomorrow brings."

Ron dragged him back to his room. Harry was still crying, and finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

Back at the infirmary, Snape hurriedly put something on the wound and then applied pressure with a rag.

"Madam Pomfrey, get a blood replenishing potion!"

She hurriedly did so.

"Eviscarus!" He muttered.

She immediately became conscious. Snape hurriedly forced the potion down her throat and let her fall back into an unconscious state.

"Is she going to make it, Severus?" Madam Pomfrey fearfully asked.

"I don't know. If she does, she may wish she hadn't survived. Not many people want to be a werewolf."

"Vulnera Sanentur…' he chanted. It was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

NOTE: The Order of the Phoenix starts earlier than in cannon. Please review :)! This is my first fic, and any criticism is appreciated.

* * *

Dawn began to break. Naira's eyes slowly opened. She groaned. She looked to the side. Snape was sleeping in a chair next to her bed. She carefully observed him. It was not often one saw Snape sleeping. He looked so peaceful. She let him sleep. The sun begin to shine through the windows. Snape stirred and instantly woke up. He looked at her.

"Congratulations, Ms. Valjean. You survived."

She sighed. "I was bit, wasn't I."

"Yes. Lupin has not shown up yet. I don't know how he forgot to take his potion. I brew wolfsbane for him every month. I will extend the same offer to you. It would be quite easy for me to double the recipe."

"Severus Snape, attempting to console someone. Never thought I'd see the day." She sat up and shook her head unbelievingly.

"You might want to take a calming potion. Most people don't react to becoming a werewolf very well…"

"I'm not a werewolf."

"Denial is common among people who have been bitten…"

"No, you don't understand. I have an element in my blood that neutralizes werewolf blood. I'm not a werewolf."

"What? How is that even possible?" He said unbelievingly.

"Let's just say I made a deal with the devil to get a potion that would change my blood. I have to say, it was not a very good deal, but you know what, it came in handy!"

"Impossible!"

"And now I have no idea of how to make that potion… But anyway, thanks for saving my life and risking your own to save me."

"I hope you're worth it." He said, but not very seriously,

"It seems I owe you a life debt. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not now, but I'm sure something will come up."

Harry ran in. "Oh my gosh! You're alive! I thought you were dying!" He said, breaking into tears. "I was so scared."

It was a sweet reunion. Later that week, the Headmaster asked Naira to join the Order of the Phoenix.

"The Order of the Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"And you want me to join?"

"More like need."

"Well, I don't think I can refuse. I want to protect Harry after all, and I can't do that sitting at home."

"Welcome to the group! We are meeting at Grimwald Place at 7 P.M on Friday. Black has been in hiding. Apparently he got Buckbeak loose and escaped with him."

"I'll be there."

It was exactly 6:30 P.M when Naira showed up at Grimwald Place.

She knocked. No one answered, so she opened the door.

"Hello?"

Wham! She was suddenly expelliarmised by none other than Sirius Black.

"What are you doing here?"

"This is my house! And you are certainly NOT WELCOME!"

He attacked her with a cutting spell. She desperately tried to dodge them, but got a cut on her face.

"Dumbledore told me to come here…"

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU FOR ONE SECOND, YOU SCUM! I JUST FOUND OUT YOU MURDERED MY BROTHER!"

"I DID NOT MURDER ANYONE!"

At that very moment Harry showed up.

"Aunt I!" He said in shock. "Sirius, what are you doing?! That's my aunt!"

"Back away from her! She's a known convict! She's dangerous! She murdered my brother!"

"No! And you're a convict too!"

"NOW!" Black screamed, a demented and wild look coming over his face.

Harry pulled out his wand. "HOW DARE YOU HURT HER! I TRUSTED YOU!"

Sirius looked shocked. He calmed down. "Harry, I…"

"I won't ever make this same mistake again! I don't care if you were my dad's friend! I don't care who you are! All I know is you just made a TERRIBLE MISTAKE!"

At that moment Dumbledore showed up (he had been outside, talking to Remus Lupin, and had sent Harry ahead of him). He took one look at the scene.

"Oh dear."

"I killed Regulus in self defense. He was a death eater, and tried to kill me." Naira said.

"My brother, a death eater? You're a filthy liar! You even turned my own godson against me!"

"Stop!" Dumbledore protested. "There is neither proof that Regulus was or was not a death eater, but I believe Naira to be an honest person. I can see that you two may not get along. Listen to me. This is a proverb that will help you: 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend". These are dark times. We need to be united under one banner."

Naira picked up her wand and gave a death glare to Sirius before walking into the dining room. Then others arrived, and the meeting hung out with the Weasleys and Hermione. Finally they were done with the meeting. Harry glanced at Snape. He was not exactly happy that he owed Snape his aunt's life. Being in debt to Snape was like a nightmare. But Snape had saved her life, and he was terribly grateful in spite of past prejudices. He went up the dark haired professor. "Professor Snape?"He said hesitantly.

"What is it, Potter?" Snape replied warily.

"Thank you for saving my aunt. I'm sorry I've been such a prat in the past. But anyone who would risk their life to save my aunt's life is worth my respect. In the past, I wanted to be like my father. I always thought he was a great man. But my aunt told me the truth. Now I can see that he was often a bully. I hope that I am never arrogant, a bully, and never strut around the castle, sir. In short, I pray that I don't turn out like my father."

With that, Harry walked away, leaving a dumbfounded Snape in his wake.


	6. Chapter 6

Naira had a very busy week. She was about to do something that would shock everyone. She was going to adopt Harry Potter. First she went to Gringots to obtain adoption release papers. Then she headed to the Dursley house. She knocked. Petunia opened the door.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I would like to talk to you about your nephew."

"Oh, yes, I know he's strange! We try to keep him under control, but he's a troubled boy!"

"I know that he's a wizard."

"Oh."

"Ms. Dursley, I want to adopt Harry. I know you feel him as a great burden, and I would be happy to take that burden off your shoulders. Having a wizard under your roof, when you are non-magical people, is quite a struggle, I am sure. I am giving you a chance to be free from him! What do you say? I even have the adoption papers."

"Oh, really?" Petunia said, her eyes glowing, as if all her dreams were coming true.

"That's right, Ms. Dursley. I just need you to sign."

Petunia grinned. "Oh! This has to be the best day of my life. Come in, come in!"

Naira took out the papers. "This is where you have to sign. Could you have Mr. Dursley sign also?"

"Of course, of course! VERNON!"

Vernon came bumbling into the kitchen.

"What's wrong, sweet pea?"

"Nothing! This nice lady has volunteered to adopt Harry! We just have to sign these papers!"

Vernon looked like a child on Christmas Day. He did a little jig. "Whopee!"

He quickly signed. The couple hugged and started dancing around the kitchen. "This reminds me of that line from Les Miserables! 'Free at last, how strange the taste, never forget the years the waste!'"

Then they sang together, "nor forgive them for what they've done. They are the guilty, every one!" They continued waltzing around the dinner table.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. I'll be leaving now. Can I take Harry's stuff?"

"Of course! His room is up stairs."

Naira grew solemn at the sight of the iron bars and the locks. She quickly magicked his stuff into a box, then went down the stairs. The Dursleys hurried to the door.

"Thank you, thank you!" Ms. Dursley sobbed, pulling Naira into a crushing hug. Mr. Dursley joined the group embrace.

"We are forever in your debt!" He bawled. Naira was finally released.

"Thank you, have a wonderful day!" She said, beaming as she walked out the door. Not even the Dursley's cruelness could ruin her happiness. Harry Potter was now her son. _Boy, will Dumbledore have a nice surprise, _she thought, giggling. No more better good. Harry was official in her power. Now she could protect him. She sent a letter to Harry as soon as she arrived home. Harry was going to eventually face the Dark Lord, but Naira would make sure he was ready mentally, physically, and emotionally. No matter what happened, love would get them through.

*~THE END~*


End file.
